By Deb Silverthorn
Dr. Jill Biden, an educator and wife of former Vice President Joe Biden, will be the featured speaker at Jewish Family Service’s Woman to Woman luncheon Wednesday, April 25, at the Hyatt Regency Dallas.
The fundraising luncheon is open to women and men. A silent auction and registration will begin at 10 a.m., with lunch and the program slated for noon.
Former WFAA-TV news anchor Gloria Campos will be master of ceremonies at the event.
“We created the Woman to Woman Luncheon to teach the community about, and raise money for, JFS, and the luncheon has been an incredible resource for both,” said Ethel Silvergold Zale, co-chair and JFS’ first lifetime trustee and founder of the biennial event in 2004. “It is a vital contributor to JFS’ budget and it’s so rewarding to see what we have all become. It was an idea, and a purpose, and all of JFS’ staff and volunteers and staff make every day of support a reality.”
JFS’ almost-150 programs served close to 13,000 people in 2017. Its services include:
Individual and family counseling
Family violence intervention
Diagnostic assessment
Play therapy and a special needs resource team
At-risk youth intervention
Addiction counseling
Employment services and financial coaching
Emergency assistance and food pantry
Two resale stores
Transitional housing
Independent living services for older adults and the disabled
Chaplaincy
Support groups
Volunteer services
“People come to us at some of the lowest or most trying times of life and they put their trust in us to be there,” said JFS’ Chief Executive Officer Steve Banta. “The Woman to Woman Luncheon engages the community to help make sure that we are. Many of our programs don’t sustain themselves and this fundraiser is critical to the overall support of JFS.”
The event provides substantial support for services promoting lifelong self-sufficiency and well-being for anyone in need regardless of religion, race, ethnicity or ability to pay.
“Making this all happen are our co-chairs who are all giving souls and ambassadors of JFS to their own corners of our community,” said Banta. “They share JFS in everything that they do.”
Other co-chairs are Susan Frapart, Linda Garner, Sherry Goldberg, Julie Liberman, Beverly Rossel, Monica Susman and Laura Weinstein. Honorary co-chairs are Paddy Epstein, Ann Kahn, Lisa Kleinman, Ann Rosenberg and the JFS staff.
Garner said the co-chairs are looking forward to Biden’s talk.
“We are thrilled to have Dr. Biden as our special guest for this very not political, but very fun, funny, uplifting and great get-together,” Garner said. “Dr. Biden’s life stands for all we do through JFS: breast cancer, education, mental health, military and veteran support and more. We walk the same walk she does and I’m certain what she has to share will be a message that resonates with all of us.”
Biden is a mother and grandmother, a lifelong educator, a proud Blue Star mom, and an active community member. As the nation’s second lady, she worked to bring attention to the sacrifices made by military families, to highlight the importance of community colleges to America’s future, and to raise awareness around areas of particular importance to women, including breast cancer prevention, all while continuing to teach English full-time at a community college.
Inspired by her granddaughter, Biden also wrote the book Don’t Forget, God Bless Our Troops, a story through a child’s eyes of what family life is like when a parent is away at war.
Participants in the event’s raffle, silent auction and live auction have a chance to win: tickets to Ellen; seven nights at a four-bedroom home in Cabo San Lucas; a Cartier watch; art pieces; shopping, sports, restaurant and entertainment packages; and more. Raffle tickets, $25 for one and $100 for five, can be purchased in advance by calling JFS. Prize winners do not need to be present.
Tickets for the expected sellout event are available in sponsorships available at jfsdallas.org/woman, or by calling 469-445-0616 or emailing kstrull@jfsdallas.org. Individual seats, if space permits, can be secured online beginning March 1. For information or to purchase raffle tickets in advance, call 972-437-9950.
